suicide burn

English

Etymology

From being an engine burn whose failure results in destruction, thus seemingly requiring "suicidal" confidence or courage to attempt.

Noun

suicide burn (plural suicide burns)

1. (astronautics) A method of soft-landing a rocket with a well-timed, high-thrust engine burn starting at the last possible second, such that it reaches a vertical speed of zero at precisely or almost precisely at the exact moment that it touches the landing pad and the engine shuts down.
2. (astronautics) An instance of such a landing.

   A suicide burn is a more efficient method of landing than slowly decelerating over the length of a long descent, as a smaller proportion of the engine's thrust is spent fighting against gravity.

3. (astronautics) A rocket firing during such a landing.

Synonyms

• hoverslam